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Dollar Store News article #4
Dollar Tree plants a new seed: Occasions party-planning
store
CHESAPEAKE - Dollar Tree Stores Inc. is testing a new concept called
Occasions that specializes in products for parties and events.
Occasions took over a former Dollar Tree store space at Volvo Parkway Shopping
Center, just up the road from the retailer's headquarters, in late September.
It's the only store of its kind, for now. It focuses on party planning - from
invitations and decorations to plates, cups and napkins - with extras such as
fancy chocolates, candles and toys thrown in.
Occasions isn't beholden to the "everything's $1" mantra of its company's
namesake chain. Its prices range from 49 cents for a sheet of scrapbooking paper
to $83.95 for a pair of crystal champagne flutes.
"With the price point restriction lifted, we can get a little more creative,"
said Tom Mills, the Dollar Tree vice president overseeing the new concept.
Occasions carries plastic tabletop items, for example, that would be too
expensive for Dollar Tree to sell for $1, Mills said.
Occasions is the first original concept for Dollar Tree since its own founding
in 1986 as a spinoff from the toy store chain that preceded it. Dollar Tree,
which sells plenty of gift wrap and paper plates in its own 3,232 stores, saw
the party arena as an underserved market, Mills said.
A pack of 20 fancy gold-colored plastic plates costs $8.49 at Occasions.
Cocktail napkins featuring a margarita glass and the phrase "Livin' the lime
life!" runs $2.29 for eight. A $14.99 price tag hangs on a pi?ata shaped like
popular children's character Dora the Explorer.
Dollar Tree's influence appears in a front display of toys all for 99 cents.
Much of the merchandise is imported, "which Dollar Tree does very well," Mills
said.
Occasions offers supplies for any type of celebration - birthdays of all ages,
showers, barbecues, wine tastings, casino nights and sporting events. Displays
will soon highlight the Feb. 4 Super Bowl.
Customers can special-order invitations and personalize gifts such as silver
picture frames, key chains and cake-serving sets. One wall is devoted to gift
wrap while another section carries greeting cards.
A computer kiosk near the front entrance lets customers select their type of
party and receive tips on planning, a suggested schedule, a product checklist,
and ideas for activities and games.
The company considers Occasions a pilot project and is watching the store's
performance and customer response. Dollar Tree hasn't decided where it will go
with the Occasions concept, Mills said. "Now we just have a lot of learning to
do."
Occasions isn't the retailer's first foray into prices bigger than a buck. After
it bought the Deal$ chain in March, Dollar Tree converted those 122 stores to
handle a multiple-price product mix. Based on success there, Dollar Tree CEO Bob
Sasser said in November that the company would add items costing more than a
dollar in a handful of Dollar Tree locations as soon as this year.
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